


The Varsity Baseball Team

by MerMagicAnaLily



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Bullies, Bullying, High School, Homophobia, Minor violence (mentioned but not shown), gay stereotypes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 05:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20961392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerMagicAnaLily/pseuds/MerMagicAnaLily
Summary: Cyrus got back to working on T.J.’s corrections, marking the incorrect problems when a waitress came by and placed a plate in front of him. He stopped and looked at it. “Um...I didn’t order these.”The waitress shrugged. “They were ordered for you.” She said, walking away. He frowned until he saw the baseball team walk by him and drop a piece of folded notebook paper on his table and he opened it up and felt a lump in his throat, leaving a pile of money on the table and quickly walking home.





	The Varsity Baseball Team

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, please read the tags first for warnings! I wanted to see the return of Toxic T.J. Kippen, the Scary-Basketall-Guy, and here’s how it happens! If you read this, please comment! Let me know who sees this!!!!

“Yo, Jonah!” He turned around to see T.J. running up to him. “We made the second round of tryouts!” 

“No way,” he said, getting T.J. with a bro-hug. “Legit?”

“Yup, it’s totally docious magocious,” T.J. laughed with a shit eating grin and Jonah groaned. 

“You didn’t even know me when I said that!” He protested. 

“Doesn’t matter, you’ll have all the opportunities again when we play on the JV Baseball team together,” he said, giving him a little nudge. 

“If we make it on the team,” he said. “We’re in the second round. We have to pass today to make it officially on the team. And aren’t you already on the Varsity basketball team?”

“I’m just *that* good,” he laughed. “But yeah, Buffy and I are the first freshmen on the varsity teams, but she’s doing basketball and track, so I’ve got to do baseball and basketball. Or she’ll say I’m slacking.”

“You know this, plus the math tutoring will take away most of your free time. So...what about Cyrus?”

T.J. smirked. “Who do you think I got assigned as my math tutor.”

Jonah laughed a little. “Now that is epic.”

“Does this rate a docious?” T.J. winked, and Jonah let out a long sigh, but smiling as he rolled his eyes. 

“Maximum Magocious.” 

T.J. laughed and they did a fist-bump handshake combo. “Too bad Marty got cut.”

“He did use the bat as a broomstick and played quidditch during downtime. Is it really that surprising?” He laughed. 

“That’s fair,” he said laughing as well. “Alright. So I’ll see you after class for round 2.”

“See you there!” 

T.J. made his way down the hall and saw Cyrus, smiling at him. “Hey babe,” he said, leaning against his locker. 

“A jock leaning against my locker? Maybe I should try out for head cheerleader,” he joked, opening his locker and putting his books away and getting other books out. “Earn that privilege according to all teen movies to have ever existed.”

T.J. smiled and leaned into Cyrus a little as he kept putting his books away. “Well, I have another baseball tryout again. I can’t wait to make the team and have baseball puns on the signs you take to mine and Jonah’s games.” 

Cyrus smiled a little shyly. “You actually like those?” 

“I love those. I was jealous when you only made them for Buffy, and when you started becoming friends with me, and then dating me, and I got those beautiful signs,” he chuckled a little. “It was awesome. Best thing I saw was the first sign you made for me.”

“Teej, you’re too sweet,” he blushed slightly.

“Just being honest,” he said. “So, the ‘first week’ nerves settle down a little?”

“To an extent,” he said. “It’s only the third day we’re freshmen in high school.”

“Well...anything I can do to ease your worries?” T.J. flirted, making Cyrus blush harder. 

“If you hold my hand or kiss me right now, there is a chance of spontaneous human combustion,” Cyrus said. “I am the definition of a gay disaster.”

“Well, I’ll save all explosions for after classes and tryouts,” he said. “Dinner at The Spoon? We can study for Algebra I together.”

“Study for real? Or have you flirt with me nonstop until I make out with you?”

“We can do both,” T.J. teased. 

“You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re adorable,” he said. “You’re also the best thing that has ever happened to me.” He took Cyrus’s hand and gave it a kiss before rushing off to his next class.

* * *

Cyrus watched him go with a goofy grin as he walked into his AP French class. He was originally in French I, but it was too easy so he took a test the next day and tested out of all of the lower levels. He stopped and smiled when he saw a familiar face in the class. “Iris?”

She looked up and smiled. “Cyrus! What are you doing here?!”

“La classe de français, bien sur,” he said. 

“Moi aussi.” 

He pointed at the open seat next to hers and she nodded. He put his bag down and slid in. “Before we start the ‘French only’ rule in class, I feel like I owe you an explanation of what happened between us.”

“Cyrus, it’s okay if you didn’t like me romantically, it’s fine and I did have fun with you. That’s all that mattered.”

“Iris, you are the perfect girl for me,” he said with a little laugh. “That’s the problem...you’re a girl…”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, and...last year, me and this guy...we started dating a few months before middle school graduation, at Andi’s party.”

“Cyrus, that’s awesome! I’m really happy for you!” She said genuinely. “And a bit of a relief for me, if I can be totally honest.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I know you told me I did nothing wrong, but my anxiety was acting up and wondering if I did, in fact, do something wrong. It’s nice knowing that it’s just because I’m a girl.”

“You’re not weirded out? Or...I don’t know...thinking you turned me gay?”

“Now that would be totally dumb,” she laughed. “But, now that you’ve got a great guy it seems, and there’s this one guy in my AP European History class seems to be eyeing me…”

“Oh, seems as though good things are happening to us both,” he said. “Time to get excited!” 

“Welcome to high school, Goodman.”

* * *

“Are you ever going to get serious?” Cyrus asked, rolling his eyes a little, the corners of his lips turned up in a smile. 

“What? I’m answering all of my math questions,” T.J. said innocently. “You’re just checking my work and I’m worried about your nutrition.”

“You’ve bed me four baby taters already!”

“And here comes five!”

“Teej!”He burst out laughing. “You also stink!”

“It’s not my fault the showers weren’t working. But they should be fixed by next week.”

“Alright...but damn you’re clingy! I thought I was going to be the clingy one when we first started dating, but you’re half Koala, I swear!”

T.J. laughed. “When I’m able to snag someone as amazing as you, why would I let go?” He pressed a kiss to Cyrus’s cheek before his phone vibrated and he checked it. “Amber said mom wants me home before she does another night shift. Meet me in the morning to go over the last formula?”

“Alright,” he gave T.J. a short goodbye kiss before going back to check over the work. He only heard the bell on top of the door to notify him that T.J. left. 

He heard the bell ring a few more times. Once was the varsity baseball team coming in after their practice, and then Andi came in and placed an order for takeout. 

“Cyrus!” He looked up and smiled, waving her over. 

“Hello hello!” He stood up to give her a proper hug before sitting back down. “What are you doing here? Isn’t SAVA a boarding school?”

“It is,” she said, sitting across from him. “But my first class tomorrow isn’t until 10, so I decided to stay home tonight with my parents, and Cece is coming over. They asked me to pick up dinner.”

“So, you got to tell me about SAVA!”

“Aren’t you supposed to be tutoring a certain boyfriend of yours? I’m surprised he isn’t fused to you by now.”

“That clingy boy,” he rolled his eyes with a smile. “His mom wanted him home before she left for a night shift.”

“Gotcha. Well, SAVA is...amazing! Walker and Libby are there and we’re in this sculpting class together…” and she does off, talking about her classes and her passive aggressive roommate, listening attentively, sharing his baby taters with her while she talked. He didn’t really notice the varsity baseball team look over at him while he and Andi shared stories about their schools. Eventually, she got her food and hugged him goodbye, promising to text the group for a big meet-up over the weekend.

Cyrus got back to working on T.J.’s corrections, marking the incorrect problems when a waitress came by and placed a plate in front of him. He stopped and looked at it. “Um...I didn’t order these.”

The waitress shrugged. “They were ordered for you.” She said, walking away. He frowned until he saw the baseball team walk by him and drop a piece of folded notebook paper on his table and he opened it up and felt a lump in his throat, leaving a pile of money on the table and quickly walking home. 

_ Heard you like having these types of things in your mouth. _

* * *

“Please don’t make me do this,” Cyrus groaned. Jonah and Marty were pushing him out of the locker room. 

“Cyrus, you want to have a good G.P.A.,” Jonah grunted. “And regardless of your personal feelings towards it...P.E. is a required class for high school graduation and counts as a grade.”

“It’s a dumb requirement,” he said. “My ability to do a push-up or run a mile is not a reflection of my academic ability.” 

“We’ll do it with you, match your pace,” Marty said, grabbing his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go.”

“You two will match this snail?”

“You don’t think your static cling of a boyfriend would kill us if we didn’t look out for you?” Marty asked. Jonah laughed and Cyrus blushed and shrunk back, quickly scanning his surroundings for the varsity players. He didn’t want to drag T.J. into this. 

“I’ll be fine. Humiliated, but fine.” He said. “But...I gotta go back to my locker and get my emergency inhaler.” He broke away from them. 

“Cyrus!” 

“Trust me!” He called back. “P.E. or not, I don’t fail any classes!” 

He got back to the locker room and opened his gym locker, the kind with no locks and just his street clothes, and saw a bunch of pads and tampons fall out, and another note.  _ If you need an excuse out of P.E. _

He looked at the note in a panic and tore it to shreds before he stuffed everything to the bottom of the closest trash can and covered it with paper towels before his eyes landed on Marty’s locker. 

He debated warning him about the homophobic players, but T.J. and Jonah seemed to love being able to play on the team together, and he didn’t want to ruin that. He looked around to make sure nobody was in the locker room with him before he opened the locker and quickly hid the emergency tampon he knew Marty had on him deeper in his jeans pocket, making sure he nobody could see it and nobody would bother it before getting out again and going back outside for class, taking a deep breath and knowing he was going to hate every second of it.

* * *

“Hey,” T.J. said smiling, going over to Cyrus’s hallway locker and leaning against it. “So...Marty told me that you didn’t suffer as much as usual physically in gym class.”

“It’s very relative,” Cyrus said, quietly scanning the halls. “I mean, I still wheezed a lot more than I was breathing and running, but I was able to get through it without passing out.”

“Hey, progress!” T.J. said. “Knew you had it in you, Underdog.” Cyrus could melt with that smile, but then he remembered the sausages and the female hygiene products in his locker and the sense of dread returned. 

“Yeah. Two inches is progress if the total is 400 miles.”

“Oh come on,” he said. “Every time you underestimate yourself, I remember the somersault.” 

Cyrus swallowed. “Yeah...our thing,” he said softly. “I love how that’s our thing…” 

T.J. smiled and went to take Cyrus’s hand, but he moved it away to grab his book. “I’ve got to get to class. How about we go to my house after school for your tutoring.”

“You want to go to your house?”

“Yeah, we can order a pizza and watch a movie on Netflix after we’re done with our homework as a reward,” he said with a little smile. 

“Alright, meet you at the doors?” 

“Actually I gotta swing by Buffy’s because I left my history book at her house when I slept over a few nights ago, so you can meet me at my house,” he said. 

“Oh...okay then…” he said, and he started to lean into Cyrus, but Cyrus started walking away. “Gotta get to Honors English, see you tonight!” 

T.J. frowned as he watched him walk away. He wasn’t sure if it was just inside his head or not, but it felt like Cyrus was acting weird towards him, and he wanted to make sure he didn’t do anything to offend him. 

* * *

“Cy! Stop hogging the popcorn!” T.J. leaned over to try and grab the bowl and Cyrus kept pulling it away from him. 

“No! You don’t eat popcorn! You guzzle it! Like a vacuum cleaner!” He said with a laugh as T.J. kept leaning over, both of them on the living room floor at Cyrus’s mother’s house. T.J. was also laughing as he kept trying to steal the popcorn back, but Cyrus kept pulling it farther and farther from his reach until they both fell over, T.J. on top of Cyrus, and the popcorn all over the floor. 

They started laughing and T.J. used that opportunity to playfully pin Cyrus down and kiss him. Cyrus eagerly returned the kiss and T.J. moved his hands rom Cyrus’s wrists and they both held each other’s faces and hips as they kissed, T.J. careful not to put his full weight on top of Cyrus. 

“Boys, I’m not afraid to bust out the talk!” His mother called out while she crossed from the kitchen to her office and Cyrus groaned. They broke apart and got back up to sitting positions.

“I’ve had four versions of the talk mom!” He complained. “Five if you count the one I had with T.J.!”

T.J. blushed a little as Cyrus’s mother nodded approvingly. “I’m glad you both have great communication in your relationship. Very important and very healthy, but above all else, you’re both fifteen…”

“Mom!”

“Cyrus…”

“Don’t worry Mrs. Goodman,” T.J. interrupted, seeing Cyrus’s grateful face. “We’ve talked, and both agreed we’re far from that right now.”

“Good,” she said. “Better to stay safe that way,” she said. “And what you’re doing?”

“Mom…” Cyrus tried to hide his face. 

“We dropped the popcorn playing keep away and got a little distracted. Everything is P.G. Mrs. Goodman.” 

“And I expect you to keep it that way,” she said, going into her office and shutting the door. Cyrus’s red face was starting to go back down to his normal color. 

“I am so sorry about that!”

“Don’t be,” he said. “She’s just looking out for you. Your parents are pretty cool about this sort of stuff.”

“Really? I doubt your parents were this embarrassing.”

“My mom threw a pamphlet about the risks and how to protect yourself and a note begging me to always use condoms, but not to do anything too soon, into my room like it was a grenade and then acted like nothing ever happened,” he said. 

“Wow...really?”

“Amber had my mom stuttering through it so it ended up lasting five hours. I think I prefer the pamphlet grenade,” he laughed. 

“I thought your mom were cool with it?”

“She is,” he said. “She’s really the coolest mom, and super supportive of me and Amber...she’s just completely unprepared. She’ll talk for hours about the cute romantic stuff and do research about supporting me and making sure I’m in a loving environment, but the instant it goes past a P.G. rating, she vanishes and texts us reliable websites.” 

“Better than nothing I guess,” he laughed. “My parents are pretty well versed from their backgrounds so…”

“Please don’t make them give me the talk,” T.J. begged. “The pamphlet and websites are enough...or I’ll just defer it to you.”

“Deal,” he laughed, and they grabbed each other’s hands again and leaned back against the couch, turning their attention back to the T.V. Clearly T.J. was worried about nothing earlier. Cryrus probably had unrelated nerves and just reacted weirdly. Right now he was leaning against T.J. and holding him close, and T.J. smiled, resting his head on top of his boyfriend’s.

* * *

The whole rest of the week was weird though. Whenever he and Cyrus hung out at either of their three houses, everything was normal, but at school, it was almost like he was subtly trying to avoid T.J.’s touch, stepping out of the way and never staying close to him for too long. 

He even avoided going to The Spoon often, chowing to be at home and order food or eat leftovers with him rather than baby taters. Every time T.J. tried to confront it, Cyrus would blow it off and say it was fine, that he was just stressed about high school. They even spent the whole weekend indoors, inviting the others over or going over to Andi’s house while she showed them her latest art projects and gave them each caricatures of themselves that she made. 

But then come Monday, Cyrus was weird again at school.

“Buff, you gotta admit, it’s weird.”

“Cyrus is weird,” she said. “But that’s why we love him.”

“No, he’s not Cyrus weird,” he said. “He’s weird for Cyrus. He even swatted my hand away once, and always ducks out of the way of my kisses.”

“That’s not what I saw this weekend,” she said. 

“Yeah...this weekend was fine,” he said. “It’s...whenever we’re in public…” 

Buffy stopped. “He hasn't been that way since he started figuring himself out in middle school,” she said. “Worried about being open in public.”

“Do you think that’s what it is? What would make him change all of a sudden?” 

She frowned. “Do you think maybe someone said something homophobic to him?” 

“The rate he’s going, it’s hard to believe he even is gay...or dating me whenever we’re at school…” he looked over to where Cyrus had gone to his first class. He didn’t even see him that morning, Cyrus making a bee-line straight to the classroom, not even stopping by his locker. “Wouldn’t he tell me if something was happening to him?”

“I would think so...the only thing I can think of making him not tell is if he thought it would hurt someone else by telling,” she said. 

He saw some of the varsity baseball players hanging out a little bit down the hallway, talking around one of their lockers. Cyrus came rushing down the hallway, barking a greeting to Buffy and T.J. and saying he forgot his French book and had to get it before he was later for class. 

He opened his locker and a bunch of makeup fell out, along with some glitter, sequins, and a feather boa. Cyrus took a deep breath, the kind he took when he was trying not to panic or cry, and refused to look up to his friends, grabbing a green glitter covered book and slamming the locker shut before running back down the hall to his class. T.J. frowned in confusion at the makeup until he heard the baseball players start to laugh and mock him. 

His eyes snapped up and his face hardened. He understood now. They were bullying Cyrus because he was gay. They must have overheard him or found out because T.J. wasn’t getting bullied. To most of their knowledge, he and Cyrus were the first somewhat openly gay couple at the school, or really the first openly queer people at school, thought they never did a big coming out and didn’t really announce it. But they didn’t really go out of their way to hide it...or at least T.J. didn’t. That’s what Cyrus was doing the past week. 

He looked over at Buffy, and she looked just as angry as T.J. felt. They didn’t need to say anything. She put her books in her bag and T.J. dropped his bag next to hers, closing the locker and they walked over. 

“Did you see his face?! It was like, ‘Oh no! The mascara!’” They all laughed together then noticed T.J. and Buffy. “Hey, T.J. right? You’re on JV?”

“Did you guys do that? The makeup?”

“Oh that? Dude, that’s just what Ricky came up with this morning,” another one said. “But like, last week, we sent him a plate of sausages at The Spoon, cuz he **loves** sausages,” they laughed again. 

“Oh! And I have weights at around the same time he has P.E.,” another said. “And I found his locker and just like, took a bunch of my sister’s period shit and shoved it all in the locker. I wish I saw that one, but I I saw it all in the trash later.” Buffy’s blood boiled at that one. It could’ve been Marty’s there.

“You did all that to him?” T.J. asked. 

“Yeah, it’s hilarious!”

“Why?” 

“Why do you care about that faggot?” 

It felt like time stopped right there. The word seemed to echo in their heads and they started seeing red. “What did you call him?” Buffy asked, her voice having an edge to it.

“Wait...what?”

T.J.’s voice was low, dangerously low. He looked like the old version of himself, he was Scary-Basketball-Guy. Even the guys on the team, despite being upperclassmen, started looking a little scared.

** _“What. Did. You. Call. My. Boyfriend?”_ **

* * *

Cyrus walked out of his class with lots of people talking and buzzing. He saw Marty and Jonah in the hallway talking to each other rapidly. “Hey guys, what’s going on?” 

“You didn’t hear yet?” Jonah asked. 

“Clearly not...everyone here seems to be talking about whatever ‘it’ is though,” he said. 

“Buffy and T.J. saw the things from your locker,” Marty said. 

“Oh...is that what everyone is talking about?” 

“Not exactly,” he said. “Cy...why didn’t you tell us?”

“I didn’t want either of you guys getting targeted...especially you Marty…”

“You’re too nice Cyrus,” he sighed. “But I could handle it.”

“And I would have helped,” Jonah said. 

“If they’re not talking about my locker, what are they talking about?” Cyrus asked. 

“Well...immediately after, Buffy and T.J. figured out it was some of the varsity baseball players doing it...and...well one is unconscious and had to be taken out in a stretcher.”

“What?! Please don’t tell me they were both...actually no, I know they are stupid enough to do that!” He said. “This is why I didn’t say anything!”

“Look, Buffy and T.J. are both suspended for two weeks for mercilessly beating five athletes and covering them with bruises.”

“See! It didn’t even help! I’m so gonna yell at T.J.! And this isn’t even going to help!”

“It is, actually,” Jonah said. “They told the principal what happened, and they’ve been expelled.”

“Wait...seriously?”

“Yeah,” Marty said. “Buffy and T.J. only got to the ‘suspended’ part because the principal chalked it up to self defense on T.J.’s part, and Buffy helped, and they can still do and turn in their homework on time if they have proxies.” 

“Let me guess, we’re the proxies?”

“Of course,” Marty said. “Still gonna yell at T.J.?”

“Definitely.” 

“Good, I’m going to do the same. No matter how secretly proud I am.”

And Cyrus was also secretly proud.

* * *

“Beating them up is not the answer T.J.!”

“Cyrus, I couldn't just sit by and let them do that and say all that!” He said, watching Cyrus pace his bedroom, sitting on the edge of his bed. 

“You could have called a teacher! Walked away and reported it! Hell, you could have recorded it and had proof to make them stop and get them expelled anyways.”

“You don’t understand…”

“What?! What don’t I understand Teej?!”

He sighed and looked down. “They called us...they called you...a faggot…”

Cyrus stopped and squeezed his eyes, trying not to feel the pain of that word. “It’ doesn’t matter.” 

“Yes it does!” He said. “Because...It’s like I didn’t control what happened next,” he said. “Last time someone was homophobic...it almost ruined us...Kira almost ruined us. Our friendship, our personalities, our happiness...and I never wanted that to happen again. When they hurt you, I was already angry...angrier than I’ve ever been, which is saying a lot given who I am...but then...then they said that word and…”

“And?” He asked, his voice softer, and he stopped pacing. 

“And...it’s like...that guy was back. The dick form middle school...Toxic T.J. Kippen...Scary-Basketball-Guy…” he sighed. “I’m so scared of turning into that guy...but someone hurting you like that made me go back. It’s like that old guy took over...like he was the Hulk, like I was only half conscious. When I snapped out of it...I was so scared...I don’t want to be that guy…” 

“You aren’t that guy,” he said, sitting next to him and taking his hand. He instantly felt T.J.’s worries start to melt away and let him rest his head on his shoulder. Cyrus was glad T.J. didn’t have hair gel in at that moment and started running his fingers through his boyfriend’s fluffy hair, looking down at his shoulder. T.J. looked straight ahead, squeezing Cyrus’s hand. “You aren’t. You’re T.J. Kippen...Not-So-Scary-Basketball guy, the guy who got my muffins….Thelonious Jagger...you’re Teej,” he said. “Your fight or flight instincts kicked in, and maybe you just need help reigning those instincts in, and keeping them in control...and I can ask my parents to recommend someone...but you’re not that guy. You’re a good guy...the best guy...the guy I’m glad to call my boyfriend no matter how many stupid things you do.”

He chuckled a little and looked up. “You really are the only person I can talk to like this.”

“Perks of being your boyfriend?” Cyrus offered. 

“You’re the best boyfriend,” T.J. said. 

“I think that title belongs to you...even if you do stupid things because of it sometimes…” he laughed. 

“We’ll call it a tie then,” T.J. settled, getting up from Cyrus’s shoulder, still holding his hand. 

Cyrus smiled and leaned in and they both kissed. “I can live with that...no more stupid things?”

“Not without permission,” he laughed, and kissed him again, holding him. He really was lucky that a guy like Cyrus Goodman was his boyfriend.

**Author's Note:**

> If you read this, please comment! Let me know who sees this!!!!


End file.
